Valve for dive mask

ABSTRACT

A valve mounted on a dive mask is disclosed. The mask has a closed window frame, a soft skirt extending rearward from the window frame for defining a space between itself and the face of a diver wearing the mask, and one or two windows defined by the window frame. The valve is flexible, tubular and has a first opening at one end in communicating with the space, and a second opening at the other end. The second opening is blocked in an inoperative position and is adapted to open to expel water or air therethrough by increasing pressure in the space or by pressing both sides of the valve.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The invention relates to dive masks and more particularly to an one-way valve for a dive mask with improved characteristics.

2. Description of Related Art

It is typical for a person (e.g., diver) to wear a dive mask when engaging in swim, deep diving, surface diving or other water activities. It is also typical for the dive mask having a nose enclosure. It is further typical for the diver to bite the mouth piece of a snorkel in addition to wearing the dive mask. Thus, the diver can breathe freely when diving or swimming by communicating air through the mouth piece and the breathing tube of the snorkel.

However, fog or dew may form on the window (e.g., glass window) of the dive mask when diving or swimming. This is because there is a temperature difference between inside of the dive mask and outside water. Moreover, warm air may undesirably condense into liquid. As a result, the diver's line of sight is blocked (i.e., blurry).

Conventionally, two defogging methods are widely used as detailed below.

The first one is that a diver takes off the dive mask upon surfacing, thereafter washes the blurry window, and finally wears the dive mask again.

The second one is particularly applicable to experienced divers. The diver first turns the dive mask to allow a small amount of water to enter the dive mask. Next, the diver washes the blurry window. Finally, the diver ejects water by means of strong exhaling. However, the second method is difficult to accomplish especially for inexperienced divers. It is often that water enters the throat undesirably.

None of the above defogging methods are advantageous since they involve repeated, difficult actions. Thus, how to manufacture a dive mask which allows a diver to effectively, easily defog during swimming or diving is still an important issue to be solved among dive mask manufacturers.

The present inventor is aware that all desired defogging methods must not involve a mask taking off action. Moreover, a mechanism for drawing water into the dive mask and expelling same is necessary. It is found by the present inventor that water drawing technique is novel. As to water expelling, an one-way valve is provided on a bottom of the nose enclosure. However, the provision of the valve can consume a relatively large space and its manufacturing is relatively complicated and expensive. Moreover, a specific space is reserved around the one-way valve so as to prevent the flexible valve gate from being interfered in operation. However, a diver may have difficulties of maintaining pressure balance between the nose and the ear cavity when diving. Thus, the need for improvement still exists.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore one object of the invention to provide a valve mountable on a dive mask. The valve is flexible, tubular and has a first opening at one end in communicating with a space between the dive mask and the face of a diver wearing the dive mask, and a second opening at the other end, the second opening being blocked in an inoperative position and being adapted to open to expel water or air therethrough by exhaling.

It is another object of the invention to provide a valve mountable on a dive mask. The valve is flexible, tubular and has a first opening at one end in communicating with a space between the dive mask and the face of a diver wearing the dive mask, and a second opening at the other end, the second opening being blocked in an inoperative position and being adapted to open to expel water or air therethrough by exerting an external pressing force on the valve. The valve returns to the closed state in response to removing the pressing force.

It is a further object of the invention to provide valves for dive mask. A diver may press at least one valve to draw water into the mask and then expel water through the at least one valve by exhaling.

In one aspect of the invention in addition to the valve a conventional one-way valve or the like can be formed on a different location of the dive mask for enhancing the defogging performance.

In another aspect of the invention the dive mask has a closed window frame, a soft skirt extending rearward from the window frame with the valve formed thereon, and one or two windows defined by the window frame.

In a further aspect of the invention the valve is formed by shaping the soft skirt by injection molding.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of mask worn on a diver, the mask incorporating a first preferred embodiment of valve according to the invention where the valve is in a closed first state;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line A—A of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 where the valve is in an open second state;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line A—A of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the valve of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the valve of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 1 where the mask incorporates two valves according to the first preferred embodiment of the invention, the spaced valves are disposed above the window frame, and the valves are in the first state;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line C—C of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 9 where the valves are in the second state for drawing air therethrough into the mask, and an additional valve is formed under a bottom of the nose enclosure as a variation of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 and 10;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line D—D of FIG. 11;

FIGS. 13 to 15 are perspective views of additional three preferred embodiments of the valve respectively with three different shapes being shown;

FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view of the valve of FIG. 15;

FIGS. 17 and 18 are front views of the mask worn on the water with the valves being disposed in two different locations respectively;

FIG. 19 is a longitudinal sectional view of the mask of the invention for showing an integral skirt and the valve; and

FIG. 20 is a detailed view of the area in a circle of FIG. 19.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a first preferred embodiment of valve 20 the invention is shown. The valve 20 is mounted under a bottom of a nose enclosure 11 of a mask 10. The mask 10 is implemented as a dive mask as shown and known in the art. The mask 10 comprises the nose enclosure 11, a pair of windows 12, and a soft skirt 13. A portion of the face including the eyes and the nose is covered by the mask 10. Preferably, there is a small amount of water or even no water within a space defined by the mask 10 and the face when a diver submerges underwater during a dive. Therefore, water does not interfere with the eyes and the nose during diving.

The provision of the valve 20 aims at expelling water within the space defined by the mask 10 and the face. In the first embodiment, the valve 20 is curve and downward extends and then extends upward with its opening facing upward. Thus, water cannot enter the valve 20 (i.e., closed first state).

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a second state of the valve 20 of the invention is shown. Water can flow through the valve 20 (i.e., open second state). A portion of the face including the eyes and the nose is covered by the mask 10. In response to water entering the space defined by the mask 10 and the face, a diver may exhale by using the nose to increase pressure in the space. The valve 20 in the first state converts into a second state due to the pressure increasing. As a result, water and air in the space flows out of the mask 10 through the valve 20. To the contrary, the valve 20 in the second state returns to the first state in response to pressure decrease in the space.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 2, the valve 20 are further illustrated by its perspective and sectional views. The valve 20 has an oval section and is flexible tube in nature. The curved valve 20 is formed by bending in the manufacturing process with the flow path therethrough being blocked in an inoperative position (i.e., the first state). The valve 20 comprises a first opening 21 at one end formed on the skirt 13 (or the window 12 as detailed later) to be in fluid communication with the space defined by the mask 10 and the face, a second opening 25 at the other end, a passage 22 beginning at the first opening 21 and terminating at the second opening 25, a first curved wall surface 23, and a second curved wall surface 24. In the first state, the second opening 25 is blocked by the bent portions of the first and second curved wall surfaces 23 and 24.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8 in conjunction with FIGS. 3 and 4, the valve 20 is straightened in an operative position (i.e., the second state). The straightening of the valve 20 is accomplished by increasing pressure in the space defined by the mask 10 and the face when the diver exhales. As a result, the passage 22 from the first opening 21 to the second opening 25 is open. Alternatively, the straightening of the valve 20 is accomplished by changing its section from oval to a substantially circular one by pressing both sides thereof. As a result, the passage 22 from the first opening 21 to the second opening 25 is open. Water and air thus can draw into the mask 10 through the open passage 22 (see FIGS. 11 and 12).

Referring to FIGS. 9 to 12, two spaced valves 30 are disposed in an upper portion of the mask 10 (i.e., the skirt 13) above the window 12. The valves 30 are identical to the valves 20 described above. That is, the valve 30 has an oval section and is flexible tube in nature. The valve 30 comprises an opening 31 at one end in fluid communication with the space defined by the mask 10 and the face, an opposite opening at the other end, and a passage 32 through both openings. A diver may press both sides of the valve 30 to change the shape of the valve 30 so as to open the passage 32. As a result, water can flow into the mask 10 to wash the windows 12.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, an additional valve 20 is formed under a bottom of the nose enclosure 11 as a variation of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. A diver can press both sides of the valves 30 in order to change the shapes of the valves 30 to substantially cylindrical ones. Thereafter, water and air can flow into the mask 10 by passing the open valves 30. Moreover, a diver can expel water out of the space defined by the mask 10 and the face through the additional valve 20 by exhaling.

Referring to FIGS. 13 to 16, the flexible tubular valve can have a section other than oval. For example, the valve has a section of rectangle (see FIG. 13), the valve has a section of tapered rectangle in a lower portion and a section of rectangle having an increased area (see FIG. 14), or the valve has a section of circle and has a wavy wall surface on its lower portion (see FIGS. 15 and 16) as long as the valve has an opening (41 or 51) and an opposite opening (42 or 52) which is blocked in a first state and which is adapted to open to change into a second state by exhaling or pressing the wall surfaces of the valve.

Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18, the valves 60 are provided on both sides of the nostril on the skirt 13 (see FIG. 17) and the valves 70 are provided on lowest points of the windows 12 (see FIG. 18) as long as the valves 60 and 70 can change from the first state to the second state by exhaling or the by force and return to the first state thereafter, water can enter the mask to wash the windows 12, and/or water can be expelled.

Referring to FIGS. 19 and 20, the valve is formed by shaping the soft skirt 13 by injection molding. That is, the valve and the skirt 13 are integral.

While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims. 

1. A valve mountable on a dive mask having a closed window frame, a soft skirt extending rearward from the window frame for defining a space between itself and the face of a diver wearing the dive mask, and window means defined by the window frame wherein the valve is flexible, tubular and has a first opening at one end in communicating with the space, and a second opening at the other end, the second opening being blocked in an inoperative position and being adapted to open to expel water or air therethrough by increasing pressure in the space or by exerting an external pressing force upon the valve.
 2. The valve of claim 1, wherein the valve is disposed on the skirt.
 3. The valve of claim 1, wherein the valve is disposed on the window means.
 4. The valve of claim 1, wherein the valve is disposed on the window frame.
 5. The valve of claim 1, wherein the valve is disposed under a bottom of the nose enclosure.
 6. The valve of claim 1, wherein the valve is disposed on the skirt above the window means.
 7. The valve of claim 1, wherein the valve has a section of oval.
 8. The valve of claim 1, wherein the valve and the skirt are formed integrally. 